Faster Alerts. Safer Crews.
AI Safety Solutions for Workers
Faster Alerts. Safer Crews.
RoadDefender - Cueing Worker's Instinct to Be Safe
Florida Department of Transportation APL Certification
- 102-085-002 (Approval Date: 2/5/2025 ) (Service Life Expectancy: ) BABA Eligible: Eligible
- DEV - Work Zone Collision Detection and Avoidance System
Highway work zones remain among the most hazardous environments for field personnel, accounting for over 60% of highway-related fatalities. In many cases, workers have less than two seconds to react to a vehicle breach—time that can mean the difference between life and death.
RoadDefender, powered by SmartCone’s advanced Digital Ecosystem, offers a groundbreaking solution. It detects irregular traffic behavior up to a mile away using long-range radar and AI-driven video analytics. When a threat is identified, RoadDefender instantly activates a multi-sensory alert system via wearable devices worn by workers.
These wearables use:
- Sound
- Vibration
- Color-coded screen flashes
- Text messages
…to ensure the warning is received and acted upon—instinctively and immediately.
SmartCone units are easily mounted on construction equipment, making deployment fast and flexible. The AI system detects unauthorized vehicle intrusions in real time and delivers alerts to workers in as little as 130 milliseconds, enabling near-instantaneous response in life-critical scenarios.
Latency Comparison: RoadDefender vs. Cloud-Based AI Camera
Compared to traditional warning systems—which rely on flashing lights and sirens that can take over a second to register and react to—RoadDefender delivers alerts 4–5 times faster. While conventional systems often depend on human perception and delayed response, RoadDefender’s edge-based AI processes threats locally and transmits alerts to workers in as little as 130 milliseconds. With total latency and human reaction time averaging 220–350 milliseconds, RoadDefender enables workers to respond before or just as a vehicle reaches them. This rapid response window can be the critical difference between a near-miss and a fatality.
Award-Winning Innovation for Transportation
SmartCone’s track record of innovation spans traffic safety, smart city infrastructure, and even space technology—earning the company multiple awards across these sectors. In 2024, SmartCone was named a winner of the prestigious SWIFTT Challenge by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) for its groundbreaking work zone intrusion alert system, RoadDefender. Developed as part of SmartCone’s advanced Digital Ecosystem, RoadDefender leverages edge-based AI, long-range radar, and real-time video analytics to detect threats and alert workers in milliseconds. As a result of this recognition, FDOT is deploying RoadDefender across all interstate paving projects in 2025, setting a new standard for protecting roadway workers with intelligent, real-time safety solutions.
Novel Approach to Ultra Worker Safety
RoadDefender’s wearable alert system is powered by a strategic collaboration between SmartCone and Samsung, integrating Samsung’s flagship worker safety wearable device into the platform. This partnership brings together SmartCone’s edge-based AI and real-time threat detection with Samsung’s robust, enterprise-grade wearable technology. The result is a highly responsive, three-stage alert system—pre-cue, cue, and alarm—that engages workers’ instincts through vibration, visual cues, and audible alarms, helping them stay aware, react faster, and avoid harm in high-risk roadside environments.
Ultra-Connected, Power-Agnostic,Deployment-Ready
SmartCone’s PatrIoT Edge Node is a modular, intelligent platform designed for real-world deployment in dynamic environments. It supports a wide range of connectivity, power, and mounting options, making it ideal for mobile, fixed, or remote safety and smart city applications.
Multi-Modal Connectivity
- LTE / 5G: For high-bandwidth, low-latency cloud communication.
- Wi-Fi: Local network integration and high-speed data offload.
- BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy): Wearable and sensor pairing.
- 900 MHz (LoRa / proprietary RF): Long-range, low-power mesh networking for remote or infrastructure-less environments.
Flexible Power Options
- Vehicle-Powered: Direct integration with fleet or construction vehicles.
- Battery-Powered: Long-life operation with smart power management.
- Solar-Powered: Sustainable, off-grid deployments with energy harvesting.
Deployment Configurations
- Vehicle-Mounted: Ideal for mobile work zones, patrol units, or fleet-based sensing.
- Self-Standing: Pole or tripod-mounted for temporary or permanent installations.
- Mobile: Rapid deployment kits for emergency response or pop-up infrastructure.
Real-Time Video AI on the Edge
SmartCone + Sensor Cortek: AI-Powered Video Safety System
In collaboration with Sensor Cortek, SmartCone has co-developed an advanced AI Video Analytics System designed to enhance situational awareness and safety in high-risk environments. This intelligent system integrates seamlessly with SmartCone’s existing detection and tracking technologies, forming a redundant, multi-layered safety net.
Key Detection Capabilities
- Vehicle Presence & Movement: Tracks vehicle flow and behavior in real time.
- Intrusion & Unauthorized Access: Identifies breaches into restricted zones.
- Pattern Recognition Driving: Detects and alerts on hazardous driving patterns.
- Worker Presence & Proximity: Monitors personnel location relative to danger zones.
System Highlights
- Real-Time AI Video Processing: Edge-based analytics for immediate response.
- Multi-Sensor Fusion: Combines video, radar, IMU, and environmental data for robust accuracy.
- Redundant Safety Architecture: Ensures continuous protection even if one system fails.
- Operational Efficiency: Automates monitoring and reduces manual oversight.